The Immortals
by L Moonshade
Summary: Sequel to Plans and Purposes. During an investigation, Kate is surprised by some more familiar faces. Rated for language.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own the plot, Kate, and maybe one or two other characters. Other than that, nada.

AN: Thanks to Raynbowz, as always.

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Prologue**

Methos glanced down the hall, cursing when he saw the law enforcement officials waiting for him at the nurse's station. He briefly considered hiding in his office, but decided to get this over with so he could go home.

"Doctor Addison, this is Special Agent Todd with the FBI."

Methos noticed that Edwards didn't offer his hand. "Detective Edwards." He turned to the woman and waited for her to speak, already knowing what she was going to say.

"We need to talk to your patient."

Methos shook his head. "I'm sorry, but she's in no condition to..."

"Her parents are dead. She's the only one who knows what happened..."

Damn stubborn Feds. "She _may_ know what happened, you mean. I can't allow you to question her in her current condition for a maybe."

She stepped closer, trying to intimidate. "Doctor, her ten-year-old sister is missing. If this is my guy—and I have no doubt that it is—we have a very narrow window of opportunity to find her. Do you want to know what he'll do to her? He'll..."

Methos held up a hand, feeling sick. "I read the papers, Special Agent Todd," he said quietly, "but I have a duty to my patient. Tomorrow, you should be able to talk to her."

They stared each other down and Methos wasn't sure how it was going to end, but she relented. "Gods damn you," she snarled, shoving him into the wall as she pushed by.

"She sure is a real bitch," Edwards grumbled.

Methos straightened, certain he must have misheard. "Pardon?"

"I hate having to work with her. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten that pushy with a witness before."

Methos' anger flared. "She's dedicated to her job, even more so when kids are involved; I find that commendable. As for her getting physical, the only reason she did is because she knows I won't hold it against her."

Edwards was taken aback. That wasn't the response he normally saw when law enforcement got a bit physical. "Maybe," he said slowly. "You almost sound like you know her."

Somehow, Methos wasn't surprised she hadn't told Edwards; she didn't like the man any more than he did. "I do. She's my wife."


	2. Chapter 1

I stepped into Methos' office and shut the door. "Happy anniversary. Sorry about yesterday." I would have apologized sooner, but he'd been asleep when I'd gotten home.

He stood and drew me in for a gentle kiss and held me. "Happy anniversary. Don't worry about it, love, it was no more than I expected. Was she able to tell you anything?"

"No," I sighed, "she was asleep until the fire started. Damn it, I know who it is, I just can't connect him to it."

He kissed me again. "I'm sorry. Oh, Edwards knows we're married, by the way. I explained why I wasn't upset about your reaction."

I frowned. "Thank you for defending me, but I really wish you hadn't. The less he knows about my personal life, the better."

Methos drew back, eyes widening with sudden understanding. "You think he's your guy?"

"I'm almost sure of it. I..." I trailed off as my cell rang. "It's Matthew. I should get this," I told Methos, picking it up. "Matthew of Salisbury," I greeted.

"I'm afraid I have bad news," a familiar drawl told me. "We found your girl. I'm here, now."

"Fuck." It was a blow that we didn't find her in time, but at least Matthew was on the scene; I knew I could trust him to get the information I'd want. When Duncan had found out that I was planning on going into law enforcement, he'd put me in touch with the Immortal, thinking that Matthew could help me hide my nature. He'd done more than that, talking me into getting my degree and joining the FBI. "I'll get out there as soon as I can. Any witnesses?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Damn. All right, I'll see you." I hung up and heaved a sigh. "They found her in DC. Matthew's with her, now."

Methos winced. "I'm sorry. Get a flight; I'll drive you to the airport."

"Thanks."

I was lucky and there was a flight with just enough time for me to go home and grab the bags I kept packed for emergency trips. We were halfway to the airport when the call came, from a number I didn't recognize.

"Todd."

"Is this Caitlin?"

I frowned. "Yes," I said carefully. "With whom am I speaking?"

"Amy, Joe's daughter. I told the police about this, but when I told Joe, he said I should talk to you, that you were investigating this case. I saw someone leaving where they found that little girl."

A bright spot in a dark case; even if Amy hadn't spent much time as a field agent, she was a Watcher and trained to notice little things. "Excellent. What did you see?"

"It was a man, about six feet tall. He wore a long, hooded coat so I didn't see hair color, but I did get a quick glimpse of his face. He was white, with no scars or anything that I noticed. He did have a moustache, dark, though there wasn't enough light for me to tell what color."

All of which described Edwards. "That helps more than you know. What were you doing there?"

"There was a Challenge nearby. At least, I assume it was; I was getting home late from Joe's when I heard what sounded like a sword fight."

"Then that's what it was. There's no mistaking that sound."

She chuckled weakly. "No, there really isn't, is there?"

"Give me your address. I'm already on my way to DC, but Matthew McCormack is helping out until I can get there. I'll let him know what you saw and where you are so he can bring in a sketch artist, unless you have any major objections, of course. I know you said you didn't see much, but it's amazing what those guys can draw out."

"No, that's fine. Anything I can do to help. Ready?"

"Yeah." She gave me the address, which I jotted down. "Okay. I imagine Matthew'll be getting in touch pretty quick so he can have that for me when I get there. Thank you for calling."

"You're welcome."

I disconnected then called Matthew back. He answered it on the first ring, as was usual with him. He never rushed, but he didn't dawdle, either, regardless of the decades he'd spent in the South.

"Something for me already?"

"Yeah, Joe's daughter called," I said, shifting to include Methos in the discussion as much as I could. "She saw someone leaving the dump site last night."

"You mean Dawson? How much did she see?"

"She says not much, but you should get an artist to her ASAP. She'll have seen more than she thinks."

"Got an address for me?"

"Do you even have to ask?" I gave it to him. "Thanks for taking care of things until I get there."

"No sense sitting on our collective ass when we could be getting closer to this guy. See you in a few hours."

I hung up and sighed. "Well, that could be a huge break."

"No kidding. How did she know to call you?"

"Joe. She said she told the police, but when she mentioned it to Joe, he told her to call me. I'm sure he'd already heard about the discovery."

Methos nodded. "Likely." Joe had opened a bar in DC, one that catered mostly to law enforcement and Watchers. Gradually, law enforcement had come to see him as one of their own and, while they didn't always talk directly to him, they were more open around him than they might be normally. Which meant he heard a great deal; like Amy he was no longer a field agent, but he'd never lost that ability to pick up on things no one else would notice. "If you stop in, tell him I said hi."

"I probably will. Stop in, I mean; I have a feeling I'm going to need to tie one on after this is all over."

Methos hesitated. "I'm sure you will," he said gently. "You're going to be gone."

I sighed. "I know." The next day was the anniversary of my murder. Five years later, it was still bad.

"You'll be okay?"

I nodded. "I'll be fine," I said, though I wasn't sure. I'd managed to spend it with Methos every year, so far, and had no idea how it would affect me. But, duty called. Bad enough what this guy was doing, but he was doing it to kids and Mama Bear was pissed. "Joe and Matthew'll be there."

"Okay. You'll call?"

I smiled. Sometimes I forgot that it wasn't a good day for him, either. "Of course I will. As long as I'm not working, anyhow."

"Hopefully you'll have him by then." We got to the airport and checked in just as my flight was ready to board. "Good hunting and be careful. I love you."

I kissed him good bye. "I love you, too. Watch your head."


	3. Chapter 2

When I got off the plane in Washington, there was someone waiting, a young man who looked even greener than I was. "Special Agent Todd? I'm Craig Whitaker. Special Agent McCormack sent me. He wanted you to call as soon as you got in."

"Thanks. I didn't check anything, so we can go now."

"Right this way, then," he said, taking my garment bag so I'd have one hand free to call.

I grabbed my phone and hit redial as I followed Whitaker. After one ring, it was answered.

"It's only getting worse," Matthew said, skipping the preliminaries. "Someone got to your witness before you did."

My blood ran cold. "Is it just Amy, or her husband, too?" He was the reason she was in DC; a Naval officer, he was stationed at the Pentagon, or so Joe had told me.

"Both of them. I'm sorry."

"Fuck." Someone glared at me and I gave them the same back. "Do you have someone on the way to see her father?"

"Not yet. I only just got here and, in any case, it belongs to NCIS, now."

"Yeah, believe me, I know. How long do I have before they get there?"

"If you come straight here, you should get here about the same time."

"All right. Matthew, don't let them notify him."

"I won't. At the very least, you should be with when he finds out."

"Thanks. See you in a few." I disconnected and hit speed dial, glad I'd talked to Matthew before calling Methos. I really needed to hear his voice.

"Hey," he greeted when he picked up the phone. "Make it there, all right?"

"Yeah, safe and sound."

"Kate? Honey, what's wrong?"

I'd thought to keep it out of my voice, but I should have known better, given how well he knew me. "I can't discuss it right now." I could, I knew—Methos wouldn't say anything until I told him he could—but it had become ingrained. Never tell anyone but law enforcement until the family had been notified. "I'll call you when I can."

"Okay," he said, not happy but understanding. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't help me through everything. "You'll be okay?"

"As soon as I get this guy, I will. I should go. I'll try to talk to you soon."

"All right. I love you."

"I love you, too." Five years and I hadn't gotten tired of hearing—or saying—that. It still amazed me that Methos could love me so deeply, but the gods knew it had gotten me through on more than one occasion.

As it turned out, I got there before NCIS. Matthew looked up when he caught sight of me, concerned, but the occupants of the apartment were dead, so I had no trouble getting in.

"Did you know them?" he asked, leading me into the kitchen.

"No. We never met and I only talked to her the once, when she called to tell me what she saw." I took in the scene. Three glasses and a pitcher of iced tea on the table, Frank with one shot to the forehead and Amy with one in the head, one in the shoulder and one in the back. Matthew and I crouched over the bodies as the rest of the cops combed the scene. "Someone didn't want them talking."

Matthew nodded. "So it would appear. How is it that you were able to come in here, anyhow?"

"They're dead, no invite needed. You deal with NCIS, much?"

"Enough. The one team I've dealt with is good. The leader's a real hard-ass, but they're good." He glanced at the door. "And here they come."

I glanced over, shocked to see Tony DiNozzo, a character from another TV show (which made me wonder just how many of my fictions were real, here). It was good news; if anyone could help me catch this guy, it was Gibbs and his team. The bad news was that he'd want to send me home... "Shit," I muttered, as something occurred to me.

"What?" Matthew asked.

I just shook my head. How could I tell him that, in the first episode, Gibbs had hired a former Secret Service agent named Caitlin Todd?

"NCIS," Tony said, showing us his badge. "The former Commander Morrison is our problem, now, give us some room."

I raised an eyebrow as he crouched by the bodies. "What? No movie reference?" He was as big a movie geek as me; I didn't think I'd ever seen an episode in which he hadn't made some reference or other.

He looked up at me, surprised, but I ignored him as, next to me, Matthew tensed. Another Immortal, then, and I had my suspicions as to who it was.

"Who's in charge here?" Gibbs asked, coming in with Donald Mallard, his ME. He glanced around, proving me correct when he met Matthew's gaze and gave a quick nod. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, an Immortal. Now, why didn't that surprise me?

Matthew clapped a hand on my shoulder. "That would be you."

"Yeah, thanks." Me versus an Alpha male, this was either going to be a hell of a lot of fun, or it was going to get ugly. "Special Agent Caitlin Todd, FBI," I told Gibbs as he made his way over.

"Caitlin Todd," he repeated slowly, looking skeptical. "And you're in charge?"

"Well, that's what the local agent says, but I think he's just a coward. Who the hell are you?"

He raised an eyebrow, either pissed by my attitude or impressed with my brass, I couldn't tell which. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS, which means this is mine."

Tony leaned in close. "You wouldn't know, being from out of town, but this guy's a legend," he told me. "He..." he trailed off as Gibbs and I both turned to glare at him. "Yeah, Boss, and um... I'll just go back to... Yeah."

Okay, so this was going to be fun.

"Dr. Donald Mallard," Ducky said, rescuing Tony. "Have these two been disturbed?"

I took the hand he offered. "No, they haven't."

"For the record, I am the one who found them," Matthew said.

The ME visibly relaxed. "Very good; I know your procedure is impeccable, Special Agent McCormack," he said, crouching by the body.

"So?" Gibbs said, drawing my attention back to him. "What've we got?"

"I've been tracking a pedophile up in Denver; he killed three girls before I got the case and two since. The last one was taken yesterday but the only witness to that didn't see anything. The abducted girl was found earlier today, not far from here?" I said, glancing at Matthew.

"In an alley just a few blocks away. I've already made arrangements for you to get the body, Dr. Mallard."

"Ah, excellent. Thank you, Matthew. Have you taken all the photos and made all the sketches you require, Anthony?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, Ducky. Between what they've done and what I have, I'm fine."

"If the victim's a kid, what are you doing here?" Gibbs asked, bringing our focus back to my story.

"Matthew had notified me about the girl's body and I was already on my way to the airport when Mrs. Morrison called and said that she'd seen someone leaving the scene."

Tony frowned. "She didn't call the police?"

"She had, but then she'd told her father about it. He owns Joe's Blues, and had already heard about the body. He's also a friend of mine, so when he put two and two together, he told her to call me."

"Do you have a suspect?" Gibbs asked.

I hesitated, but I knew that Gibbs would understand and accept my answer. As long as he thought I was competent, at least. "My gut says yes, but as of right now, I don't have anything solid to go on. And with my star witness gone... Please tell me you got prints off those."

Tony glanced at the table. "Off two of them, yes. But one was wiped clean."

"Gods damn it all to hell," I snarled.

Gibbs was watching me carefully. "What do you think happened here?"

I glanced at the table. "They invited him in, offered him drinks. The good commander, here, was first and caught off guard. She became a more difficult target as she tried to get away. Either they knew him or they had reason to trust him."

He nodded. "That fit with your suspect?"

"Oh, yeah. Very well."

"Get those prints to Abby," Gibbs told Tony. "And find out everything about these two. See if we can't connect them to someone who was in Denver until yesterday or early this morning." Then he turned back to me. "Still here?"

I took a moment so I wouldn't blow up and reminded myself that I knew how he was. A lot like me, as a matter of fact, though I tended to play better with others than he did. "Can I speak to you for a moment, Special Agent Gibbs?"

He nodded curtly and we stepped aside. "What?"

"Two things. One, I'm with you when you next of kin is notified. Two, I'm not going anywhere."

Up went the eyebrows. "You think so?"

"I told you, Joe is a good friend. I owe it to him to be the one to tell him."

Gibbs nodded. "All right, you can come with. But I can't let you stay on if she's a friend."

"Her father's a friend, not her. Gibbs, this is my case..."

"I don't like to work with outsiders."

"Neither do I, what's your point? Damn it, two kids have died on my watch and now this. I have every faith in your ability to crack it, but I finish what I start."

He studied me for a moment. "I'm in charge," he finally said. "My team, I'm in charge," he repeated when I started to say something.

"I was going to agree."

There was no change in his expression, but he somehow looked pleased. "Well, you have potential. May as well stick around and see if you can't learn something."

"Thank you."

Gibbs jerked his head towards Tony. "We'll let him take a look around while we notify next of kin."

Matthew overheard and gave me a veiled look of surprise. "In that case, Special Agent Gibbs, I will leave her to your tender mercies."

Gibbs took the hand Matthew offered. "Will I be able to keep from killing her?"

Matthew hid a smile. "Oh, I should think so." He gave me a peck on the cheek. "Tell David I said hello."

"I will. Watch your head."

"Ready?" Gibbs asked me, heading to the door. "And, DiNozzo, call Denver PD and check on the whereabouts of..." he left the sentence hanging for me to finish.

"Detective Jeremy Edwards," I said, shaking my head. I knew he was good, of course, but that was damn impressive.

"We going to the bar?" Gibbs asked, leading me out to his car.

"Let me find out." I dug out my phone and dialed. After a couple of rings it was answered.

"Joe's Blues."

The fact that it was Duncan answering surprised me. "MacLeod? Don't say anything, just listen for a minute and answer yes or no. Is Joe there?"

There was a pause as he took a minute to process what I'd said. "Yes, but it's not a good time. He closed for the day; I guess Amy and her husband are dead."

"What? Fuck me, who the hell told him?"

"I don't know. I wasn't with him when he got the news; I didn't get here until after he called me."

"Okay. Don't let him go anywhere, MacLeod, we need to talk to him."

"You're in town?"

"My case brought me here and Amy's death is a part of it. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"I'll make sure he's here. And relatively sober," he sighed.

"Thanks." I hung up and let out a string of curses.

"Who told him?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know, but it wasn't official. Matthew promised me he wouldn't let anyone go without me, not even you."

"You sure it wasn't one of the local LEOs jumping the gun?" He shook his head when I just glared at him. "No, you're right. McCormack's too good at controlling every aspect of a scene."

"Yeah. And yes, we're going to the bar. Directions?"

"No, I'm good." He glanced at me. "What's the story behind the guy you were talking to?"

"MacLeod? He's the first one Joe would have called."

He heard more than I said, not that it surprised me, any. "You don't like him."

I sighed. "There were some... Incidents early on in our acquaintance that destroyed any chance of a friendship." I shrugged. "So, we don't deal with each other when we don't have to, and we're civil when we're around mutual friends. He's a good man, and you will never hear me say otherwise, but we don't get along."

"Understood."

Gibbs' reaction when he sensed MacLeod didn't go unnoticed, but I didn't say anything, not about to let him know that I was aware of Immortals. I didn't give up my secrets so easily, especially when they could come in handy. Or when they had the potential to come out in amusing and entertaining ways.

When we stepped into the bar, Joe looked up and offered a ghost of a smile. "Hey, Lady."

"Joe, I am so sorry, I was supposed to be the one to tell you." I sat down, reaching out to take his hand. "That's Gibbs, he's with NCIS. Because Frank is... Was active duty, it's technically his case, now. Do you feel up to answering some questions?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Anything to catch this guy."

"Did Amy tell you anything about what she saw?"

He shook his head. "No, just that she'd seen someone leaving a scene and had called it in. Because it was a kid, she was pretty upset. Not two minutes later, I overheard a couple of the guys talking, saying that the FBI had taken it over because it was tied in to yours. That's when I told her to call you. I know it's not standard procedure, but I thought that, since I knew, it would be best to cut out the middle man. She left then, said it'd been a late night and she wanted to catch some sleep, but that she'd call you when she got home."

"Did you talk to her at all after that?"

"Yeah, she called to let me know she'd talked to you and that Frank had come home early, so she wasn't alone. It was cut short when they got a visitor, someone she said she had to talk to."

"Did she say who it was?"

"No, I didn't get a name. You think that's who killed them?"

"Yes. Joe, who told you?"

"Detective Edwards. I knew him from before he went to Denver; he said he was back on temporary duty. He was one of the guys I heard talking about it, so..."

I nodded and gave Joe's hand a squeeze. "Yeah. That's all I've got. Do you have any questions, Boss?"

"No, I think you covered it," Gibbs said slowly then caught Duncan's eye. The two of them stepped aside; I had a pretty good idea what that was about and felt a wave of gratitude.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get him sooner for you, Joe."

"It's not your fault, Lady, I know you've been doing all you can. Just don't let him get away with it."

"I promise. With what Amy saw, I've got a damn good idea of who it is. And Gibbs' team is the best, so between them and me..."

"Thanks. You're going to be here tomorrow and here I am, not going to be any sort of company."

"Don't even worry about it. Matthew's here, I'll be fine. Will you be okay?"

He hesitated then shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know."

"Call if you need anything. Otherwise, you've got MacLeod and I'll be talking to David. I'm sure he'll call when he hears."

"He's a good man. Thanks for everything, huh? Now, go get the bastard."

"Promise." I gave him a peck on the cheek and stood. Gibbs, done with Duncan, started to say something, until his phone rang. While he answered it, Duncan came over to draw me aside.

"He told me that if Edwards came back to call you and watch him like a hawk. I'm assuming you approve?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Edwards we're looking for," I said. "I suspected him almost from the start and Amy's description of who she saw only reinforced it. Hearing he was the one who notified Joe, well, Matthew had told me he'd make sure I was there when Joe was told, so... I imagine he was here fishing to see how much Joe knew."

"Likely. I'll stick close until I hear it's over."

"Thanks, MacLeod."

"He's my friend, too."

"Todd," Gibbs snapped. Then, into the phone, "Find him, DiNozzo." He snapped his phone shut and, without saying anything else, headed for the door.


	4. Chapter 3

I gave Joe and Duncan a quick wave as I followed Gibbs out. "What's up?"

"Obviously we know he's here, but it's official; he was given emergency leave the day before yesterday. Supposedly, his ex-wife is sick. Who the hell gets emergency leave for his ex-wife?"

"He told me he was going, but he didn't say where or why."

He nodded. "If he's our guy he wouldn't and, because you didn't have anything concrete, the department wouldn't have told you anything. If you asked."

"Of course I asked. Unofficially, since I didn't have anything concrete..."

"Yeah. I've got DiNozzo looking for him. We'll head back to NCIS in the meantime, see if Abby's found anything. She's my forensics expert," he explained.

"Hope she can work miracles," I said, knowing she could. "Thanks for talking to MacLeod."

He nodded. "I didn't think it would be out of line; I don't expect Edwards to go back, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. What happens when we find him?"

"The same thing that always happens, what do you think? Either we bring him in or carry him out."

He grunted. "That's not something I expected to hear from a probie."

"I take my hunting seriously, Gibbs. Once I find them, I do everything I can to make sure they do not get away."

He gave a curt nod. "Good."

We fell silent until he pulled up to a convenience store. "I'll be right back. Want anything?"

"No, thanks." I dug out my phone and dialed. A moment later, Methos answered.

"What can I do?"

I smiled. "Have I told you lately how grateful I am for you? You can call Joe. My guy killed Amy and Frank."

"Oh, baby," he sighed. "I'm so, so sorry. Yeah, I'll call him. Do you know where he is?"

"No, but this belongs to NCIS. There's a team working on it, now."

"You're off the case?"

"I convinced the head of the team to let me stay on."

"Guess he was impressed."

"He said I had potential and should stick around and see if I couldn't learn something. Yeah, he was impressed."

"If you say so. You'll be okay?"

I took a deep, steadying breath as Gibbs got back in the car. "I think so," I said, dismayed to hear too much emotion in my voice. I wanted to be strong in front of Gibbs, wanted him to respect me as much as I did him.

He put the drink (the largest serving of Caff-Pow they sold) into the holder then started the car. "We'll get him, Todd," he said, pulling onto the road.

I offered him a smile. "Thanks, Boss, I know. Yeah, love," I told Methos. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. I should let you go."

"I love you. Watch your head."

"I love you, too. Be careful."

"Always."

I hung up then gave the Caff-Pow a pointed look. "Yours?"

He shook his head. "Abby. It's a bribe, she practically lives on the stuff."

"How do you keep her from bouncing off the walls?"

He gave that half smile of his. "I don't. Boyfriend?"

"Husband of five years."

He looked at me, eyebrows raised. "You two always sound like newlyweds?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, we get that a lot."

"Were you in the FBI when you married him?"

"No, when he found out it was something I'd always wanted to do, he pushed me until I gave it a shot."

"It's not easy to have this and a marriage."

I nodded. "I know. But he tolerates my moods. He knows I need to hunt."

He frowned. "You sound like a predator."

"Told you I take it seriously."

At NCIS headquarters, Gibbs breezed me past the floor where Tony was running his investigation and down to the basement lab where Abby worked, shocking me when he tensed. That didn't tell me if she was fully Immortal or just a potential, of course, but I'd figure that out the first time I saw her at night, when my senses were at their best.

When we stepped into her lab, the first thing I saw was her hair, pulled into two pigtails, then the bright red lipstick and the black shirt she wore under her lab coat as she spun to give us a warm smile.

"Gibbs, you're just in time."

"You found something."

"No. Well, yeah, but that was ages ago," she said, taking the drink. "I just finished my Caff-Pow. Hi, I'm Abby."

"Caitlin Todd, FBI."

She looked surprised. "You're letting the FBI work with you?" she asked Gibbs. "You hate the FBI."

"I'm starting to change my mind," he said with exaggerated patience. "What do you have for us, Abs?"

"The bullets came from a 22 Glock. When Tony told me you were asking about Detective Edwards, I looked into what type of pistol the Denver PD uses. Guess what it is."

"Twenty-two Glock," Gibbs said.

"Exactly. So, on a hunch, I ran a search." Abby turned back to the computer and started pulling up some information. "There was some question about a shooting Edwards was involved in two years ago and the department ran ballistics tests to clear him."

"I remember hearing about that," I said. "But they purge the results after a year."

"Right," Abby said, "and these were. Officially. But he'd been on IA's radar before, nothing much, nothing they could even investigate, really, and all the little things added up for one guy. So Detective Adrian Chandler has kept everything about Edwards that's come across his desk. Including this ballistics report." She pointed to the images at the top of the screen. "That is from the tests they ran a year ago. And these are from the bullets you brought in from today."

I made a quick comparison. "Is it me, or are those really similar?"

"They're exactly the same," Abby said smugly. "The bullets that killed the Morrisons came from Detective Jeremy Edwards' gun."

"Abby, you are absolutely brilliant," I said, giving her a hug. "We've finally got him."

When I drew back, she was grinning. "Glad to help. Oh, and Ducky wanted to talk to you. He said he has something."

"We'll head over there, then. Good work, Abs," Gibbs said, giving her a hug as well. "Keep working on finding anything you can to connect him to the kids."

"I am, but he hasn't left us much to go on."

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah, I know. Time for one of your miracles. Come on, Todd, let's see what Ducky's got." He glanced at me as we made our way down the hall. "You usually hug your forensic experts?"

"No, but none of my experts are that hot. What?" I said when he gave me a look. "I can't appreciate a lovely young woman?"

He scoffed. "Abby's not as young as she looks."

I gave him a smirk as the elevator doors opened. "Neither am I."

He said nothing more, but studied me carefully as the elevator took us to the floor the morgue was on. I wondered what he was seeing, through the lens of however many centuries he'd lived, and did my best to keep up my living charade.

Finally we were there. "Thank you," I said as Gibbs held the door for me. "Du... Doctor Mallard, what do you have for us?"

Ducky looked up from the girl's body. "Some good news, relatively, at least. This young girl was neither sexually assaulted nor tortured like the others."

I frowned. "He didn't have her long, but still..."

"See these?" Ducky asked, showing me wounds on her arms. "Defensive wounds. And I found a great deal of skin under her nails. Then there is the fact that she has been dead for nearly two days."

"Just after he took her," I murmured. "She fought and, in trying to subdue her, he killed her accidentally."

"That is my conclusion. She died of blunt force trauma to the head." Ducky lifted her head to show us the back and the hole.

Gibbs frowned. "So, why bring her all the way to Denver?"

I had a sudden thought, one that hit me like a blow to the gut. "Oh, gods. I think I know who his next victim is," I said, racing for the elevator. When it wasn't there I took off for the stairs, Gibbs catching up to me halfway up to the ground floor.

"Todd..."

"I need some information," I told him.

I hit the door running and barely avoided colliding with someone on my way over to the work area where Tony waited with Edwards' photo on the display screen.

"Tell me about his daughter."

Tony blinked, startled, then recovered. "Uh, she's a step-daughter, twelve years old..."

"Fuck!" Gibbs shouted. "How the hell... You didn't tell me he had a daughter."

"I didn't know. Do you have an address for his ex?" The lack of an answer was all the answer I needed. "Then get one! She's his next victim."

"Care to explain where that epiphany came from?" Gibbs asked as he and DiNozzo went to their desks. "Take that one," he told me, pointing to the one across from his.

I sat down and started working on the information, as well. "The department would know if he had an ex, so there's no chance he's lying about that. What was it you said?"

"Who the hell gets emergency leave for..." his eyes narrowed as he started to see my logic. "Someone who has a child with said ex."

"DiNozzo, how do we begin to covet?"

He looked up, startled, then made the connection. " 'We begin by coveting what we see every day.' Good movie reference."

"Silence of the Lambs," I told Gibbs.

He looked doubtful. "You learned that from a movie?"

"No, I learned that getting my psych degree. It just so happens that the movie is right." I indicated the display screen. "Divorced three years ago, moved to Denver two. When she was ten, the age of all his victims."

Tony won the race. "Boss, I've got an address and phone number."

"Call her and tell her not to leave her daughter alone with him. Tell her we're on our way to explain. And find him, damn it!"

Gibbs and I rushed out and into his car. I was glad when he pulled out and onto the road with the same recklessness I would have under those circumstances; we didn't have any time to lose. Fortunately she didn't live far away but, even so, we got a call from Tony before we got to the house. It was Gibbs' phone that rang; when it did, he dug it out, glanced at the number and threw it at me.

"DiNozzo," he told me.

I answered. "Tell me some good news, DiNozzo."

"She said he took the girl to the zoo. I'm on my way, just in case, but if you're right then the chances are pretty slim. He owns a few rentals in the area so I've got Abby looking to see if any of them are unoccupied or otherwise private. She's also looking into properties the ex-wife owns."

"Call as soon as you have something. And next time, make it good." I hung up. "She says he has the girl at the zoo. DiNozzo's on his way and Abby's looking into rentals they own in the area."

"Right now, then, our best bet is the mother."


	5. Chapter 4

"How much do we tell her?" he asked as we headed to the front door.

"As much and as brutally as we have to. I'll be able to get a better idea once I get a feel for her."

When Helen Edwards came to the door, I could well believe she was sick. She was pale and drawn, thin as if she'd lost weight she couldn't afford and far too quickly. "Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Edwards? I'm Special Agent Gibbs with NCIS, this is Special Agent Todd, FBI. You should have had a call from my people..."

"Yes, of course. Come in, please. I told the gentleman who called that Jeremy has Terry. I don't understand what the problem is, though. He may not have been a good husband, but he was always a wonderful father."

I'll bet, I thought. Loving and attentive.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Gibbs said gently as we followed her into the living room. "But we have reason to suspect him in a number of murders."

She laughed as we sat, but there was a harsh quality to the sound that told me a lot. "Oh, no, not Jeremy. I know he sees a lot with the police, but he never let it get to him, or affect how he treated us."

"Ma'am, we would never accuse a fellow law enforcement agent of something like this if we didn't have evidence to support our suspicion."

She shook her head. "I just don't believe it."

I leaned forward. "It's not that you don't believe it, because now that we've said something, you're starting to have second thoughts," I told her gently. "Little things that you wrote off, that you forgot. But now you're starting to remember them and, all together, they add up to something you can't let yourself believe. You just can't, because that means your daughter is in danger, and she is in danger because you so misjudged him. You didn't, though, he's just that good, just that charming. Five girls are dead, Helen, raped and tortured. They were all ten years old, and they were all substitutes for your daughter. Do you have any idea at all where he might have taken her? We know he owns some rental properties in the area, and I'm sure he has you check up on things. Are any of them abandoned, any of them..."

"The warehouse," she said, her voice tiny and lost. "I rent a warehouse, he keeps furniture and appliances from the rentals that are being renovated or are unoccupied. They're all in neighborhoods where they keep an eye on what goes on; he'd be noticed if he went there. But the warehouse..."

"We need an address and keys, if you have them."

"Just a minute." She got up and went to a desk where she pulled out a ring with two keys and a tag that held an address. "Here. The warehouse is in my name, so..."

I stood and took them from her. "Thank you."

She didn't immediately let go. "I pray to God you're wrong. I know you're not, but... Hurry."

"We will."

Gibbs took the keys from me as we left so he could check the address. "That was good in there," he said once we were on our way. "Thank God for that psych degree." He glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky. "Sun'll be down when we get there. Hope you're not afraid of the dark."

I smiled grimly. "Oh, hell no. I love the dark; do some of my best work at night."

"Hope so. I'm afraid we're going to need a miracle to save that little girl."

It was quiet when we pulled up to the gate that surrounded the complex. I took the keys and went to unlock the gate; Gibbs drove in then shut off the car and got out.

"Don't want him to hear us drive up if he's here," he said.

"Might be too late," I told him, pointing to the only other car within sight. "Given the address on the one closest to us, I'm willing to bet that's the one we want."

He looked at me, no doubt wondering how I could see the address at this distance in this dim light, but he said nothing, just led the way.

We had reached the car and were looking inside, hoping to see something, when we heard a door and footsteps. Gibbs shut off the flashlight and we waited. I saw Edwards before Gibbs did but we both remained silent, letting him get as close as possible. He was only feet from the car when he glanced up and caught sight of us, wasting no time in reaching for his gun.

I had mine out before he'd fumbled his into his hand. "Freeze, Edwards."

He didn't, of course, turning to run back towards the warehouse. He must not have been leaving, because he hadn't locked the door and ran right in.

"Todd!" Gibbs yelled.

"Give me another choice!" I shouted back. With buildings on either side we couldn't go around and cut him off, if there even was a back door. I burst through the front, not needing to stop in order to hear that he was still running, and put on a burst of speed, trusting my vampiric sight to show me any pitfalls. Something that gave me an advantage.

Nothing much short of beheading or total immolation can kill me. A bullet certainly won't, but it will do some damage as it rips through flesh. And, while most of my organs are rendered vestigial and immune to injury, my brain still works, can still suffer from damage inflicted. Edwards made a head shot and I went down, unconscious before I hit the ground.

I started to come out of it, but slowly. At first I could only catch the scent of blood and I dragged myself towards it, knowing I'd need it to heal in time. By the time I got there my sight was just returning and I could see it was Gibbs, shot as well. Unlike me, though, he wasn't dead and Edwards had him bound and gagged with duct tape. That meant he couldn't throw me off which was good news, or so I discovered when I tried to talk and found myself unable to string two words together; I found a vein and sank my fangs into him, drinking deeply. I almost took enough to kill him—Immortal blood was damn near an addiction that was tough to control at the best of times—but I managed to let go, sitting up to take stock and recover. Once I was a little more coherent, I ripped the tape off Gibbs' mouth.

"What the fuck was that?"

"Rule number 18." Or, it's better to ask forgiveness than seek permission. I grinned, letting him see the fangs. "Now you know why I sound like a predator."

"Because you are. Does that mean you're asking forgiveness?"

"Shh." I stood and cocked my head. "Thought I heard something." When I heard nothing more, I pulled the knife from my boot and reached for the tape.

That got me a look of approval; always carry a knife was rule number nine. "You should find our firearms, first," Gibbs told me. "I don't think he'll be long."

"Good point. And, I'll ask forgiveness when we get out of here alive."

"Isn't a bit late for that?"

"For me, I suppose, at least technically." I turned back to where I'd dropped, pleased to find my gun waiting for me. With me dead and Gibbs tied up, Edwards had thought nothing of leaving it there. "Got it. I..." I trailed off, certain there had been something, and heard the door open. "He's back. Distract him for me," I hissed, stepping back into the shadows.

Gibbs glared up at me until Edwards made his way over, where he set down a gas can. He straightened, stopping when he realized something was missing. "Where the hell did she go? She was dead."

Gibbs scoffed, amused in spite of himself. "Woman that stubborn isn't going to take being dead lying down."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I'm only mostly dead," I said, stepping into view, ready to shoot if need be. "Give it up, Edwards."

His head jerked up, eyes wide, and he drew his own pistol. "I don't know how you survived, but I do know that you won't shoot me. You need me alive to tell you where she is."

There was a standoff, but only for a moment, only until I heard the sound I'd thought I'd heard from the start. I smiled wickedly. "She's here, in this building, and I can find her. So I suggest you slowly put it on the ground, keeping your hands where I can see them."

"You're bluffing."

"Do you really want to take that chance?"

He hesitated, but I'd learned a number of things from Methos, intimidation being one of them. After a moment, Edwards answered by slowly putting the gun down, keeping his hands where I could see them, then slid the gun towards me with his foot. I cuffed him then cut Gibbs free.

"Get the girl, I'll call DiNozzo," he told me.

"Terry," I called, moving towards the sound I'd heard. "Terry, it's the police. Where are you, honey? Can you make noise for me?"

I stilled and waited, grateful to hear banging in response. I made my way through the stacks of crates, calling out again when I needed more direction, until I found the right one. The top was nailed on, but I was stronger than normal and had little problem prying it off. Inside was a twelve-year-old girl, scuffed and dusty but appearing otherwise unharmed.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" I asked, gently lifting her out of the crate.

She wrapped her arms around me, buried her face in the crook of my neck and nodded. Then she promptly began to cry.


	6. Chapter 5

Terry wanted nothing to do with men so I had to stay with her in the ER until, finally, her mother had joined us and we were able to turn the girl over, a scene that was painful for me—if only it were so easy to get my hands on my little girl. Then Tony and I headed back to headquarters, Gibbs having gone there long before.

"The Princess Bride, by the way," I told Tony as he drove me back.

He glanced at me. "What?"

"While Gibbs and I were in the warehouse, I quoted The Princess Bride. Well, paraphrased..."

He grinned. "Not bad. All right, then. Scariest movie."

We talked movies on the way back, a good distraction from darker thoughts. The minute we stepped into the building, though, the conversation was interrupted by Abby. She came flying over to me and I barely managed to catch her as she threw herself at me. And now I had my answer; she was full Immortal. Gibbs was likely her first teacher, then.

"Todd, you're all right! When they said they couldn't get you or Gibbs..."

"We're fine. Exhausted, but fine. I'm going to finish paperwork then head back to the hotel for some sleep."

"Okay. Tell you what, I have some things to do in the lab. Why don't I drive you back to the hotel?"

"That'd be great. I'll meet you down there when I'm done."

She grinned. "Okay," she said then bounced off.

Tim had watched the exchange slack-jawed and now shook his head. "Wow. She really warmed up to you."

"She's a good kid."

"Yeah, because you're so much older," Tony teased.

I gave him my most mysterious smile, perfected after long practice with the _Shopi_. "You might be surprised."

The first call I made while doing paperwork was to the airlines for a flight, which I was able to get for first thing the next morning. The next call, of course, was to Methos. It was relatively early, he and I were both night owls and it was even earlier in Denver, so I wasn't surprised when he answered on the first ring.

"Over?" he asked.

"Yeah, we got him, but I can't give details, yet. I have flight information."

"Hang on... Okay. I'm ready." After I told him, he heaved a sigh. "Good, you'll be here fairly early."

"Yeah, I'm just as relieved. I need to call Joe and Matthew and finish paperwork so I can go get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night. I love you."

"I love you, too. Good night."

The exchange hadn't gotten past Tony. "Aww, how cute," he teased. "How long have you been together?"

"Married five years, today."

He blinked, surprised. "Five years? I was wrong, that's just sick. No couple should sound like that after five years."

I shrugged. "So we're still in love. Who knows, maybe you'll find someone one day."

"Not too soon, I hope. You're still young, why would you take yourself off the market?"

"Because there's no one on the market like David." I dialed again; this time I had to wait two rings, but Joe was no more asleep than Methos had been. "Hey, Lady. Does this mean it's over?"

"Except for the trials, yeah. We got him."

"Good," he said vehemently. "Look, Methos mentioned that you knew who it was from the start. You're not feeling guilty about that, are you?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you can't talk," he said, sounding amused. "That's fine, you can listen. You don't need to start down that road. He's mortal and that kind of justice isn't for him. And before you say it, however veiled it has to be, Cavanaugh was a different case." My murderer, I'd killed her not long after she'd done the same to me and tried to kill Joe, as well. "That was wrapped up in Immortal and Watcher societies and it would've gotten ugly if it'd gone to trial. You caught him and you did it the right way and you have nothing to feel guilty about."

I sighed and tried to let said guilt go. "Thanks, Joe. You're a good friend."

"So are you. Thanks for getting him. Now, what're you doing talking to me? Shouldn't you be on the phone with an airline? Or Methos?"

I decided not to tell him that he hadn't been my first call. "Yes, sir. Good night, Joe."

"Good night, Kate. And, thanks for everything."

I sighed and dialed once more, glad that Tony had gone back to ignoring me, or was at least pretending to. Matthew got it on the first ring. "I can't talk long; I've got a case of my own. You get him?"

"Dead to rights."

"Good. When you going home?"

"First thing tomorrow."

"Glad to hear it. Happy anniversary. And, good work."

"Thanks. Good luck on yours."

"Thank you kindly. Night."

With that, I turned all of my attention to paperwork. It took far too long, or seemed like it did, but finally it was done and, with no more reason to hang around, I stood and stretched. "Thanks for all your work. You have no idea how badly I needed to get him."

"You're not the only one," Tony said in a rare moment of seriousness. "You're heading back to Denver?"

"First thing in the morning, thank the gods. It was good working with you."

He offered me his hand. "And you. Have a good trip back."

I shook his hand. "Thanks. Good luck." I paused then decided on a bit of advice. "You do know the most important rule of all, right?"

He frowned. "Well, rule number one..."

I shook my head. "Nope, it's rule number 23. Never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live."

He opened his mouth then closed it again. "You know, that describes Gibbs pretty well. How do you know about his rules, anyhow?"

I just gave him that, "I know more than you do," smile. "Bye, DiNozzo."

I was almost at the elevator when Tony called, "Happy anniversary."

"Thank you, Tony," I called back, chuckling. I didn't know if he'd deliberately waited or if it was an after thought, but it didn't really matter. He'd been sincere and that was what mattered.

The elevator opened on Gibbs; when he saw me he gave me a smile and stepped aside. "Where you headed?"

"Lab. Abby's giving me a ride back to the hotel. Look, about at the warehouse tonight..."

Gibbs hit the button and gave me a disappointed look. "Let me guess. You're sorry."

"Not given the circumstance, I'm not. What I was going to say was, that's not standard procedure and I didn't like having to do it. I respect you too much."

"You didn't have a choice."

"Rule number ten..."

"There's always a choice," he said with a smirk.

I nodded, surprised I had it right; ten was one number I'd never had a rule for. "It may not be a good one, but there is always a choice."

He nodded, but said nothing more. I remained quiet myself, wondering how much to say. In the end, I couldn't resist playing a little.

"I saw you with a bullet hole in your shoulder, earlier tonight."

"Yeah."

"So, why aren't you wearing a sling?"

"Tell me you don't know."

"Know what?"

He hit the emergency stop and turned to look at me in disbelief. "You mean we don't smell or taste different than mortals?"

I feigned surprise. "Mortals? I noticed a difference, of course, and I've smelled people like you before, but I've never had the chance to find out why. I mean, 'Why do you smell like ozone?' really isn't the type of thing you can ask someone you pick up at a club."

Our eyes met and he gave me the same stare he gave suspects when he thought they were lying. I never could have stood up to it before, but my heart rate and breathing would never change, there was no blood to make me blush and I didn't sweat. After a moment he grunted and turned back to the controls to start the elevator again.

"You're not going to explain?"

He shook his head, smirking. "Nope."

"And you think I knew why? So, I guess you heal pretty quick. What else do I need to know?"

"You don't," he said as the elevator stopped. The doors opened and he stepped out, giving me a smug look. "Good work tonight, Todd."

"Thanks. And for all your help. You find yourself in Denver, don't hesitate to call."

"Oh, don't worry. We'll be seeing each other again."

The elevator doors closed and I grinned. Aside from the fact that I wouldn't mind working with them again, that meant I'd have another chance to tell him I knew about Immortals and wipe that damn smirk off his face.

In the meantime, though, I was looking forward to getting home.


End file.
